Photo courtesy of ABC News.
Missing person Jessica Edwards has been found dead in East Hartford, Connecticut, after a two-week search. The 30-year-old student had been reported missing two weeks earlier by her husband and family. According to ABC News, Edwards was found on May 21 close to the entrance of Hockanum River Linear Park off of Chipper Drive.
Edwards’ husband, 22-year-old Tahj Hutchinson, was arrested by the South Windsor Police Department in connection with the crime. According to the South Windsor Police Department, Hutchinson was charged with first-degree manslaughter and was being held on a one-million-dollar bond. The bond was raised to 1.5 million on May 24 after the death was ruled a homicide due to “asphyxia compression of torso and neck.”
According to ABC News, Hutchinson told authorities that he saw Edwards get into a car on the morning of her disappearance, but police didn’t believe him. Sgt. Mark Cleverdon spoke about the case during a press conference.
“We had very much an open timeframe that we were dealing with and we had to try to put a lot together,” he said. “Day by day, we were able to get a little closer to establishing a foundation. It certainly wasn’t an overnight a-ha moment. A lot of it had to do with obtaining information and following up with search warrants.”
Hutchinson reportedly confessed to police after Edwards’ body was found. Hutchinson said that the two had been fighting for several days beginning on May 8. The argument escalated on May 9 when it got physical. Hutchinson claimed that Edwards tried to hit him and throw things at him before pushing her, and she hit her head.
The couple slept in separate rooms that evening but continued arguing on the morning of May 10. Hutchinson claimed that Edwards hit him in the head with a laptop and also grabbed a knife. An affidavit described Hutchinson’s confession.
“They wrestled over the knife and he eventually pinned her on the ground on the living room floor, him on top of her and her on her back. He stated that they continued in a physical confrontation and he was able to flip her over onto her stomach and was kneeling on her back and neck area with his body weight, holding her down.”
Hutchinson claimed that at some point, Edwards stopped moving, so he went to check on their baby boy. After Edwards didn’t move, he realized she was dead and panicked. He spent the day ignoring calls from her family and loaded her body into his Jeep that evening.
Edwards’ sister came to the residence later that evening after not hearing from her and saw the Jeep backed up to the residence. She also saw a sheet covering up something in the back and tried to look, but Hutchinson drove off as she held onto his door handle. She immediately called 911. Hutchinson reported his wife missing about 30 minutes later at the East Hartford Police Department. He was barefoot and later admitted to getting his shoes muddy while dumping his wife in the woods.
Investigators found blood in Hutchinson’s Jeep as well as Edwards’ driver’s license and debit card. They also found a bloody pillow at the residence, and the bedroom door was broken.
A GoFundMe was set up to help Edwards’ son and has raised more than $17,000 so far.